It all started almost two years ago at the
2003 SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida. I was talking with
Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms about the great success
of his .50 Beowulf rifle when
he reached into his pocket and pulled out a very interesting little
cartridge, looking much like a 6mm PPC. It was a new cartridge that
Bill was working on that used a 6.5mm bullet in what was basically
a necked up 6mm PPC case. The PPC cartridge case is a dandy
little design whose lineage goes back to the .220 Russian cartridge.
The PPC case has proven itself admirably in benchrest competition,
both in the 6mm and .22 caliber chamberings. What piqued my interest
was that Bill had necked the thing up to take the beautifully efficient
6.5mm bullets that are available to shooters, and even more so that
he was building an AR-15 rifle to fire the little cartridges.
As I stated, but it bears repeating, this was almost two years ago.

After making a couple of modifications to the PPC
case to increase internal capacity, enhance accuracy, and increase
strength to function better in AR-15 type rifles, the design was
to become the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge. After first inspecting
the little cartridge, it has been on my mind every since.

The AR-15 design has been with us now for over four
decades, and has evolved into one of the most accurate and reliable
rifle designs built today. Attempts at increasing its power
has mostly been directed at increasing the weight of the .223 bullet,
and to improving the earlier AR-10 rifle. While the .223 certainly
has its place as a combat rifle, and I dearly love a good
AR-10, the idea of a more effective cartridge on the handier AR-15
rifle greatly intrigues me. The 6.5 Grendel appeared to be an excellent
solution to the need for increasing the power and effective range
of the AR-15, and I was anxious to try one out. Again as I stated
above, but it bears repeating, this was almost two years ago!

Bill Alexander, being somewhat of a Sadist, has kept
me waiting for a production gun for all of this time. To his credit
however, he did not want to go into production with this rifle until
everything was just right. In the meantime, he has kept in touch
with me detailing the progress of the new rifle, as a form of slow
torture. Finally, a few weeks ago, I received the news that the
rifle had arrived, along with a supply of factory ammunition and
reloading dies.

Alexanders goal in developing the Grendel was as
a long range target cartridge, and as a hunting rifle, particularly
for deer-sized game. It also is a very good choice for a law enforcement
tactical rifle. As a target rifle cartridge, the 6.5 Grendel has
a lot to offer. 6.5mm bullets are available with long, sleek profiles,
resulting in very high ballistic coefficients that contribute to
a greater retained velocity and wind resistance. Out past
1100 yards, the 6.5 Grendel is still supersonic. It is also flatter
shooting than the .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO), and much flatter
shooting than the .223 Remington (5.56mm NATO) cartridge.
The Grendel also has roughly half the recoil of the .308 Winchester.
Getting a cartridge to push the beautifully streamlined 6.5 bullets
to optimum velocities, while working within the size and operating
pressure limits of the AR-15 system was the goal of Alexander
in designing the Grendel. For long range wind-bucking ability, and
a relatively high retained velocity, the Grendel has succeeded admirably.
The power of the 6.5 Grendel is much closer to the .308 than it
is to the .223. In fact, at long range, some of the Grendel 6.5
loads have more retained energy than does the .308 cartridge, due
to the efficiency of the cartridge and the very low drag ballistic
properties of the bullets. All this in the standard size AR-15
rifle.

As the question is certain to come up, this is as
good a time as any to address the comparison between the 6.5 Grendel
and another recent cartridge developed for the AR-15: the 6.8
Remington. A quick look would suggest two very similar
cartridges. However, the two were developed for different purposes.
While the Grendel was designed for long range target work and hunting,
the Remington was developed for anti-personnel use at ranges out
to about 400 yards. The Grendel case has a bit more powder
capacity than does the 6.8 Remington, which matters little for a
medium range combat cartridge. For long range work, the Grendels
case design has a decided advantage over the Remington when
using long bullets of a high ballistic coefficient design, because
both cartridges are limited in length by the size of the AR-15 magazine.
In the accompanying photo, it is illustrated in the cutout cases
that a 130 grain .270 (6.8mm) bullet with a similar ballistic coefficient
to the 120 grain .264 (6.5mm) bullet intrudes greatly upon the case
capacity of the Remington cartridge, effectively limiting the bullets
used in that cartridge to the stubbier 115 grain class of bullets.
This presents no problem within the design parameters of the 6.8
Remington cartridge, for it was not developed as a long range
cartridge. The Grendel case can efficiently use bullets up to 144
grains that are superb performers at long range. The 120 grain
Remington Core-Lokt bullet pictured intrudes very little upon
the case capacity of the Grendel. As a side note, all the qualities
that make the Grendel an excellent long range target round, coupled
with a high level of retained energy at extended ranges, also makes
it highly desirable as a tactical rifle for police and military
work.

To achieve the desired level of accuracy, Alexander
Arms uses the finest components to build the Grendel. One cannot
simply slap a 6.5mm barrel on any AR-15 and achieve a high level
of competitive accuracy. The Alexander Arms Grendel rifles use
Lothar Walther hand-lapped stainless barrels that are carefully
chambered, throated, crowned, and fitted to the upper receiver.
Even the throat is specially cut and lapped for increased accuracy.
The upper and lower receivers are precisely fitted, with absolutely
no play between the halves. Alexander uses a special deburring
tool to carefully trim the gas port where it engages the bore to
limit any bullet distortion as it passes. Most of the Grendel variations
employ a one turn in eight inch rifling twist to better stabilize
bullets at long range. This allows the 6.5 Grendel to utilize the
long, sleek bullets that slip through the air so well to accurately
hit distant targets.

Although Alexander Arms makes variations of the Grendel
that are purpose-built for target shooting, I am primarily interested
in the rifle as a hunting weapon. Therefore, the rifle sent
to me for evaluation wears a heavy, but not too heavy, medium length
barrel. Alexander calls this the Entry 18.5 inch rifle.
The barrel on my sample actually measures 19.7 inches from bolt
face to muzzle, giving almost a full 18 inches of rifling in the
bore. This is a very handy size for a hunting rifle. It has
a fourteen inch length-of-pull, and an overall length of just thirty-eight
inches. The barrel has a heavy profile, and measures .758 inch at
the muzzle. The sample gun weighs in at seven and three-quarters
of a pound empty. After mounting a Leupold Mark 4
4.5 to 14 power scope in a one-piece ArmaLite mount, the
balance point is right at the hinge pin, making for a perfectly
balanced rifle that feels much lighter than the scale reads. It
has a composite smooth black free-floated hand guard, and a flattop
upper receiver with a built in Picatinny rail for optics mounting.
It has all of the standard A2 type features, including a case deflector
and forward assist knob. It wears a very comfortable synthetic rubber
pistol grip and has an A2 type buttstock. The hand guard has
two sling swivel studs to easily mount a sling and a bipod. The
best feature of the Entry rifle is the superb trigger. Alexander
calls it their Tactical trigger; I call it the perfect hunting trigger.
It is of a single stage design, and released crisply at just over
three pounds on the test rifle. The blade of the tactical trigger
is only about one eighth of an inch wide, which provides for a good
trigger feel, even when wearing gloves, as hunters often do.

I like the appeal of an AR-15 as a deer hunting rifle.
The stock is shaped perfectly to get a good cheek weld while peering
through a scope sight, and the recoil is straight back. After firing,
the rifle is instantly ready for another shot. For a tactical
rifle, this is very important also, as no movement is required by
the shooter to get the rifle ready for another shot. The straight
back recoil allows the shooter to get back on target sooner for
a quick follow-up shot if needed, or to engage another target.
The 6.5mm Grendel cartridge gives the AR-15 the power that it has
previously lacked for hunting deer and large predators.

As mentioned above, I mounted a Leupold Mark 4 scope
on the Grendel. The Mark 4 series is Leupolds tactical rifle scope
line, and is one of the finest scopes available for the purpose
at any price. The Mark 4 has covered target style adjustment knobs
with one-quarter minute click adjustments. The dials are marked
for reference, and can be zeroed to suit a particular load and range.
The 4.5-14 Precision Long Range scope tested has a Mil-Dot reticle
that is very helpful in range estimation with just a bit of practice.
The dots are spaced at one milliradian increments, and very good
range estimation tables are included in the instruction booklet.
This diagram shows the crosshair in detail:

One of the best features of the Leupold Mark 4 PR
Scope is the side-focus knob for the parallax adjustment. It is
much easier to reach than having to turn the objective lens housing
on most other scopes, and allows the use of flip-up lens covers
on a parallax-adjustable scope. Being easier to reach requires much
less movement on the shooters part. The side focus is a great idea.
The Leupold Mark 4 has superb clarity and precision internal adjustments,
and is an excellent scope for the Grendel rifle.

The factory loads tested in the Grendel were fired
for velocity reading over my PACT chronograph at a distance
of ten feet in front of the muzzle. All loads were of Alexander
Arms brand. The weather was pretty nasty at the time, with a temperature
of eleven degrees Fahrenheit. All velocities are listed in feet-per-second.
The chronograph results are posted below:

LOAD

VELOCITY

123 Grain Scenar
Hollowpoint Boattail

2591

129 Grain Hornady
SST

2389

120 Grain Nosler
Ballistic Tip

2557

90 Grain Speer
TNT Hollowpoint

2768

The velocity readings were very consistent, which
proved beneficial when later testing the ammunition for accuracy
in the Grendel. Most accuracy testing was done at a
range of 100 yards, with a gusty wind over my left shoulder and
a temperature of thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. All shots
were fired from a bench using the Target
Shooting Inc. Model 1000 rest. The excellent trigger
pull was very helpful shooting accurate groups with the Grendel.
I group tested the four factory loads, along with a few handloads
that proved to be consistent over the chronograph screens.
I fired three-shot groups with each load. I am interested in hunting
accuracy. The first one, two, or at the most three shots from a
cold barrel are the most important. The barrel was allowed to cool
completely between groups. The handload data will not be printed
here, as the loads have not been pressure tested, but proved to
be safe in the sample rifle. I checked case head expansion with
a micrometer, and compared the results with the expansion of the
factory ammo as a guide. Load data is available from Alexander
Arms, and is included with the loading dies. I tested bullets and
powder combinations that I thought suitable for deer hunting, and
included no match bullets in my testing. I plan a follow-up article
later on loading for the 6.5mm Grendel. All group sizes are listed
in inches. Accuracy results were as follows:

LOAD

GROUP
SIZE

123 Grain Scenar
Hollowpoint Boattail

0.500"

129 Grain Hornady
SST

0.687"

120 Grain Nosler
Ballistic Tip

0.937"

90 Grain Speer
TNT Hollowpoint

0.937"

Handload #1
with 100 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip

0.312"

Handload #2
with 100 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip

0.625"

Handload #3
with 100 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip

0.500"

handload #4
with Remington Core-Lokt

0.563"

The first four loads listed are Alexander Arms factory
loads, and performed very well. The handloads that I fired for group
sizes all used bullets that I thought would be excellent deer hunting
bullets. The beautiful thing about the 6.5mm Grendel, and all 6.5mm
cartridges of moderate velocity, is that there are many good, reliable
hunting bullets available. The factory loaded 129 Hornady SST and
120 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip loads should be fine performers on
whitetail deer. I made no attempt to duplicate those loads. The
120 grain Remington Core-Lokt is a proven bullet that performs splendidly
from the .260 Remington and 6.5mm Swede, and it should do very well
at the slightly lower velocities of the Grendel. The bullet that
really interested me for deer hunting was the 100 grain Nosler Ballistic
Tip. It is listed by Nosler as a game bullet, and is made to perform
well at higher velocities. Therefore, I did not worry about it coming
apart when fired from the Grendel. Handload #1 gave me the best
accuracy, with almost as much velocity as handload #3 using that
bullet. I was very impressed by the 5/16 inch group of that handload,
and the velocity registered 2780 feet-per-second. From the
Grendel, it is a very flat shooting load, as illustrated in the
chart below:

Since this load had proven to be so accurate at 100
yards, I also shot it for accuracy at 300 yards. The air temperature
was 58 degrees, with a gentle crosswind from the left. My normal
shooting range has a maximum distance of only 110 yards, so I had
to improvise a shooting range for 300 yards. I did not have the
use of a sturdy bench or the Model 1000 rifle rest, but shot from
an elevated deer stand and rested the forearm on the rail. It was
difficult, but I finally found a comfortable position and got the
crosshair to settle in, and fired a three shot group that measured
right at one inch. I was very pleased, to say the least. I then
fired another three shot group that printed the same. I quit while
I was ahead. That is one-third minute accuracy from this AR-15,
from a deer stand! I was ready to hunt.

Since choosing this load to try on whitetail, I have
only shot three deer with it. Two were medium sized does, and one
was a heavy buck. The two does were shot at ranges of 85 and 92
yards. Both dropped immediately at the shot. Neither even twitched.
The buck was across a field as I approached from a ditch. I took
a rest over a tree limb, and he fell at the shot without even taking
one step. I lasered the distance back to the ditch at 219
yards. Another thing that I noticed about the Grendel is that
the efficient little jewel is relatively quiet, as far as center
fire hunting rifles go. I have either shot or seen shot many whitetail
deer. I was very impressed with the quickness that these deer expired.
The Nosler Ballistic Tip and the 6.5mm Grendel seem perfectly matched
for whitetail. For heavier game, I would probably choose the 120
Core-Lokt, or the Barnes 120 grain XLC. The XLC is long for its
weight, and takes up some powder space, so I think that the Core-Lokt
might be a better choice. A 100 grain XLC would most likely be perfect,
if Barnes would only make a 6.5mm bullet in that weight.

I look forward to more shooting with this rifle,
both at the range and in the field. The Alexander Arms 6.5 Grendel
rifle is very well suited to the needs of long range target shooters,
but I will leave that conclusion to those who are more experienced
than I in that area. For police, military, or civilian defensive
situations, the 6.5 Grendel shoots flatter and hits harder at long
range than both the 5.56 NATO and the 6.8 Remington. It shoots
flatter than the .308 Winchester, with energy numbers that even
exceed this cartridge at longer ranges with certain bullets. I see
the 6.5 Grendel as a dandy little deer rifle, offering a flat trajectory,
low recoil, and plenty of power in an accurate and reliable AR-15.
Bill Alexander expertly assembles the Grendel rifle from the finest
components available, from the excellent Lothar Walther barrel to
his own Tactical Trigger.

I have waited impatiently for almost two years for
the arrival of this rifle. It was worth the wait.

Jeff also worked up some handloads for the 6.5mm Grendel. Some
of the bullets he used (left to right): 100-grain Nosler Ballistic
Tip, 120-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, 120-grain Barnes XLC, and 120-grain
Remington Core-Lokt.

As can be seen on the accompanying table, the Alexander Arms
6.5mm Grendel is exceptionally accurate with a good variety of both
factory ammunition and handloads.